As an aviation fan and runner, there is one thing I have always wanted to do on an airplane – run on a treadmill for the entire length of a flight. 🙂 I imagine if I could find the right pitch, I could someday entice some airline to go for that, but it is not happening right now.
However, Airbus, in a recent patent filing, may be meeting exercise enthusiasts half-way by creating new seats that are styled like bicycle seats – but without the pedals and wheels. Really, this is a thing! They have filed to patent the design of seats to reduce seat width and legroom so as to squeeze accommodate more passengers per flight.
The design for the patent for the Airbus designed bicycle seat
Airbus says that these are “simply conceptual” right now and that many things are patented that are never used (which is true). However, it is somewhat interesting that this is even in the thought/design of an airplane manufacturer! Unless they are charging pennies on the dollar of current airfare for a seat like that, I cannot imagine it growing a following.
Of course, can you imagine how you could market first class or business class on that plane? Instead of the pictures of big suites that take up so much space :), you could have a photo of this – the best seat in the plane!
“First Class Seat”
Now, if Airbus really wants something to think about, how about actually putting pedals and chains with those seats? It would probably be a quite a bit more energy efficient that way (power the A/V system, lights, etc). You could even give passengers a slight refund upon landing based on the amount of watts produced in the air. C’mon, what do you think of that?! 🙂 I mean, Airbus is in the land of the Tour de France, so why not think like this?
HT: LA Times
will the be adding pedals next to help power the plane ?
Yes, please!